Major League Baseball forced Houston Astros catcher Martín Maldonado to stop using an illegal maple bat after Game 1 of the World Series on Friday, reports the New York Post. The bat was deemed illegal for safety reasons and not competitive reasons — the specific type of maple bat Maldonado used is more likely to splinter into multiple pieces.
Maldonado was given the illegal maple bats by Albert Pujols, his former teammate with the 2017-18 Los Angeles Angels.